Tuesday, August 31, 2010

We are on a little lake high right now. We finally got out on a boat. We've lived 6 years in the land of 10,000+ lakes and we have never been on one as a family...until NOW!!

The girls were on cloud nine. When I told them we were going on a boat and tubing etc...they weren't that excited. They had nothing to compare it to.

Needless to say their excitement level changed a little when they got out there and felt the water splashing their faces, the wind whipping in their hair. I was so proud. I didn't even have to get on the tube with them..whew!!! They were brave indeed;)

After reading Paige's post on capturing every moment I kind of became a freak about it. I know I was annoying. I took oodles of pictures and was just a little obsessed. I had to take this one of Honey without him knowing...so he wouldn't roll his eyes at me!

Michelle and I hangin' out.

Okay so I'm obnoxious with the camera...that's a given. But I don't think Honey has ever touched my camera...until now...when I just happened to be peeing in the lake! OH NO YOU DIDN'T!!! You can't see it, but there's a hole in the raft. It used to be for a cooler...not any more...ha!

Oh I forgive you. How could I stay mad at him?:)

This is Steve and Michelle our new boat BFF's. We kept teasing them...now we need to make cabin BFF's. It seems that everyone in Minnesota has either a boat or a cabin. It's just a must...I guess. Except for us. But we're not from here... so we don't really count;)

One of the best parts of being on Lake Minnetonka is looking at all the gorgeous homes. It's dreamy. I can only imagine the sunsets they get to see. If you close your eyes...you can almost imagine living there:)

Actually this one was my favorite. It's on an island. It wasn't big and grand, but it was perfect. See that screened in porch? That's where I would spend every second.

After we docked for dinner we headed back out for some fishing. My girls had never even held a fishing pole before. An evening of firsts....I love that:)

They were pretty excited. Big Chick caught one little sunfish. But by far tubing was their favorite part of the day.

This was mine.

Thank you sweet friends for helping us squeeze in one last hurrah before Summer officially ends.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Good morning people:) Hope all of you had a wonderful weekend. I had to chuckle to myself as I was reading through your comments recently. I have to clarify something. I am NOT 40. I'm 37. I was being all deep and philosophical on my last blog post and was kind of lumping myself in with all my friends who are 40. But in doing that I confused everyone...so I'm sorry. I just HAD to say something. I can't age myself into another decade just yet...even though 37 is close enough...ha!!!

With that said I am guest posting for my sweet blogging sista today. And no she's not really my sister! I have to be clear. I have a way of being too vague;) Melanie is taking a breather for a few weeks, so I'm helping her out today. Please jump over to her beautiful blog Pretties and Posies and read all about my "Road to Happiness".

Friday, August 27, 2010

The other night a few of my friends came over to celebrate Missy's 40th birthday. As I'm sitting there listening to everyone talk and share...it's dawning on me that we are at a turning point. It seems that 40 is the beginning of a new chapter. The 30's are full of family. We are childrearing and figuring out who we are in our 30's, and then 40 hits and we are more or less THERE. Our little ones aren't quite so needy, there's more time for friends etc..and we more or less know who we are.

But I've also noticed a shift with marriages. Seems that everywhere I look lately couples are throwing in the towel and calling it quits. My friend Brigetta just shared an article that her friend Laura Munson wrote for the New York Times that shook me to the core. It's based on her life. Apparently one day her husband came home and told her he didn't love her anymore and that he was leaving and that the kids would be happy because he would be happy. In a nutshell she told him she "didn't buy it" and just continued on and more or less ignored his outburst. It is THE BEST thought provoking article and I really encourage you to read it.

Obviously every marriage situation is different. I haven't walked in any of your shoes, so please don't feel I am judging those of you who have been divorced. But as we enter this next phase of our lives...where marriages seem to dissolve left and right it's good to be prepared and to fight for what I believe is the most important relationship we can have. Just something to think about.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Today is my 400th post:) Hard to believe I've been babbling about myself 400 hundred times over! I will never forget hitting the enter button on that very first one. Scary putting yourself out there, allowing people to see who you really are...what lies within. So with that said here is my latest adventure... oh and here's to another 400:) Thanks for sticking with me.

I'm trying to move outside my comfort zone a bit. It's so easy to stay in your little cocoon...wrapped up in the familiar with the same friends day after day. But there's always room for more right?? So when I had the opportunity to meet with some local bloggers I hesitantly jumped at the chance;)

This blogging thing takes on a whole new dimension when you actually meet someone face to face. It's a little scary taking that next step. Will they like me? Will I look the same...be the same??? Are they knife wielding stalkers...HA! So you can imagine the nerves I felt as I met with Suzanne from Privet and Holly and Heidi from Wonder Woman Wannabe. We'd exchanged comments for a while, but meeting was like a blind date.

WithSuzanne we met at the General Store. One of my favorite haunts. I wasn't surprised at all to find out she was just as sweet in person as she is with her comments. So genuine and warm. She even brought me chocolate! Seriously is there anything better than that:) We laughed and shared and had a lovely time. It was nice chatting with someone about blogging. None of my real life friends do that...so to find another local gal who did was wonderful.

Then the very next week I got to welcome Heidi to Minnesota. She just moved here from the south and is getting acclimated. We met at IKEA...another favorite place of mine. I brought my chicks this time, so she even got to meet them. Oh and she learned their real names. Now tell me that isn't special:) We had a great time shopping around and of course we had to take in the IKEA restaurant. Did you know I'm a sucker for their meatballs and mashed potatoes?? She's just a sweetheart. I hope to connect with both of them again.

It was good for me. Sometimes moving out of that comfort zone is important. We need to be stretched a little right? I love the quote that says something like "do something that you are afraid of everyday". I'd love to make that a daily habit. Move towards the scary. Sad that making a new friend can be scary. Am I a weirdo or what??

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I woke up this morning happy. Don't know why, but I just felt unspeakable joy. Every now and then that happens...happiness so overflowing that I feel like I could explode. No circumstances to make me feel any different...just a gift from above that day. Anyway I was just reveling in it when we went to church and a little girl named Rhema Marvanne got up on stage to perform.

When she opened her mouth to sing I was transported. It was astonishing. This itty bitty thing (7 years old) was so full of God's gift of song I could hardly believe it. I got covered in goosebumps. I watched her through blurry eyes...trying to hold back the tears. She really touched my heart. Come to find out her momma was a gospel singer and died of ovarian cancer in 2008. She is carrying on that incredible gift and talent for her momma and her love for the Lord. It was something.

I found this footage with her story...so you can be covered in goosebumps too. If you like that sort of thing;)

Have a blessed day.

***Oh and sidenote...many of you have asked me if I still love my hair. Honey said to me just this morning and I quote, "I hate to admit this, but I really like your hair. It even looks good when you just roll out of bed." So YES I love it!!! And now that I mentioned it maybe that's why I'm so happy today...HA;) It's just easy. I get up and brush my hair and voila...ready to go. Gotta love that!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Ahhh the last few glorious days of summer. We always make time for our county fair. It's just the right size. Not too crowded...offers all we need...food, farm critters and lots of fun. I think the fair is the epitome of small town USA. I can just hear all the little bells ringing and the whir of the rides, the smell of mud and earth and manure....mmmm good. Oh and you can't forget the deep fried goodness. Makes me happy just thinking about it:)

The last couple of years we've incorporated a new tradition. We love going to the demolition derby.

Oh the excitement of watching cars and trucks ram into each other. The crowd oohing and ahhing...mud flying through the air...ear piercing revving and crashing. It's just the best!

If you've never been before... the last man standing (still running) wins! These poor cars are just annihilated.

The best part for me are all the farm critters. I have to admit looking at the pigs was really making me rethink my pork burger earlier;) Clean eating goes out the window at the fair. We shove as much crap as possible into our mouths...knowing that this blissful window of opportunity is only a once a year event.

We do try to get in a few veggies though...HA!

The derby was interrupted by a rain storm. Imagine the smell and mess then. We all stood under a carney's tent for a long time...contemplating what we would do with all our ride tickets. The slide...my favorite thing...was closed because of the rain. Major bummer! We still let our girls ride the rides...even in the rain.

Every year I look at Honey and we question how much longer they will be satisfied with just us. When will the shift happen?? You know when it's not cool to be at the fair with the family. When only friends will make them happy. Not sure, but I know I'm enjoying every second with my family right now...in this bubble. Don't you sometimes just wish you could slow down time:)

Friday, August 20, 2010

If the measure of a visit is how sad you are when you drop your company off at the airport...then our visit was amazing!! It's so weird to have a long distance friend. It's the opposite of any other friendship I've ever had. Normally you meet someone, get really close, THEN they move or you move away.

But I have this backward friendship with Lissa. This is only our third face to face meeting in less than a year. Which is quite amazing if you factor in that we live 1700 miles apart. To have her actually sitting on my deck, standing in my kitchen or riding in my car just felt surreal.

I was pretty nervous about her coming. She lives in a magazine worthy home with the most amazing views you'll ever find. Her and her girls have to eat gluten free...so I was afraid of poisoning them. But it worked out okay. I think she liked my farmy country house. She loved sitting on my deck with the views of the farm and all the cornfields. She got to listen to crickets and locusts:)

We had to go to the Mall of America. It's just one of those "have to do" things when people come here.

The girls loved the American Girl store of course.

One morning we got up early and drove to a little lake town for breakfast. She loved that day.

We found a little store that spoke her name.

Ah and no it wasn't this one;)

We had a couple of gorgeous sunny days. Squeezed in a little pool time.

We had our date night. I took her to my favorite restaurant and we soaked in the sun on the patio, devoured our yummy food and then took in the new Julia Roberts movie Eat Pray Love. It was a great night.

The last day turned out really gloomy which was disappointing. I wanted her to be showered with sunshine while she was here. But on the upside it turned out perfect for a fire. We roasted marshmallows and just enjoyed the night.

Our sweet little ones struggled a bit. They are two peas in a pod and we knew they would.

But all in all the girls left with some wonderful new friendships.

Every morning I would stumble down into the kitchen and Lissa would be waiting for me...coffee in hand, ready to talk a thousand miles an hour. She's a morning person and I'm not:) She's passionate, intense, funny and thoughtful and I'm so grateful to call her one of my closest friends. That's what I missed as I drank my coffee alone this morning. I missed my friend. I wish she was here right now to talk my head off and make me laugh. How can four days go so fast??

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Hi...I'm Becky. My life's journey so far has led me to marry my high school sweetheart. We've been married for 23 years, have 2 beautiful girls and a furry creature named Fergie. My painting style is very simple, colorful and almost childlike. I grew up in rural Illinois hence, "Farmgirl Paints". I get my creative inspiration from God. It is only through His giftings that I have any ability whatsoever.